OS: Always, beside you

Khushi took her pillows and duvet and went to the poolside to retire for the night. She turned back to look at the empty room. Arnav hadn't returned back home yet. It was 10:00 pm. She was a little worried about him. But why was she worried for that Rakshas? The one who made her sleep outside since their wedding night. The one who blackmailed her into a contract marriage. The one who never failed to hurt her whenever he got an opportunity.

She pushed aside these thoughts and carefully laid out her duvet on the floor and slept on it. But as much as she tried to sleep, she couldn't stop herself from opening her eyes every two minutes to check if he had arrived. Maybe he was busy in some meeting, she concluded.

Half an hour had passed and she still didn't manage to sleep. She was busy staring at the stars above her, talking to her Amma and Babuji, when she heard the door open. Arnav swiftly strode into the room and threw away his briefcase on the recliner. Removing his waistcoat and tie, he directly jumped into the bed without changing his clothes. His face looked tired and weary. He turned off the bedside lamp and pulled the duvet over him and slept.

Somehow, Khushi felt relieved that he was back home. Finally, she too closed her eyes and slumbered into deep sleep.

"Khushi... Khushi..." she heard someone calling out her name. She instantly woke up from her sleep, confused as to whether she had been dreaming it or not. She sat up straight and looked everywhere around her. It was all dark and no one was around her. She glanced towards the bedroom. It was dark too. She rubbed her puffy eyes and decided to lie down thinking it had only been a dream.

But as she lay down, she heard the voice once again. This time she wasn't mistaken. It wasn't a dream and that voice was too familiar to her. She got up and strode towards the bedroom. It was dark inside but she could see his face through the moonlight streaming in through the French Windows.

She saw Arnav tossing and rolling on his bed, calling out her name. He was still asleep but his duvet now lay on the floor. She stepped inside the room and switched on the lights to find out what was happening. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was 1:45 am.

His face and neck was covered with sweat and he was tightly clutching the sides of the bedsheet. It looked like he was having a nightmare. A nightmare, so terrorising and painful, that he was physically affected by it.

At first, Khushi was scared to see him in this state. He was struggling against the bed, calling out her name loudly as if crying for help. She rushed towards his side and bent down to hold his face. "Arnavji..." she said, trying to wake him up. But as soon as her fingers touched his face, she withdrew them immediately at the burning hot temperature of his body.

Hey Devi Maiyya! He's having high fever. She exclaimed to herself. "Arnavji... Arnavji... wake up." She said holding his body and shaking him. But he wasn't opening his eyes and was still calling out her name.

Panic took over her, as she struggled to calm him down. "It's me, Khushi. I'm here."

But he still wouldn't calm down.

At first, she didn't know what to do. It was the middle of the night and everyone must have been asleep. Was it necessary to call the doctor? The doctor wouldn't come in the middle of the night. She would have to take him to the hospital. She took in a deep breath to analyse the possible options in front of her.

She knew she had to bring down his body temperature. He was babbling out her name because of high fever. She immediately decided to go downstairs to the kitchen to bring some ice water and towels to bring down his fever.

She hurried downstairs and returned with a bowl of cold water and towels. She dipped a towel in the water and squeezed it before placing it on his forehead. She heard him gasp out in sleep as the cold fabric touched his hot forehead. Somehow, he calmed down a bit, relaxing his body.

Khushi took another towel and wiped the sweat off his neck and face. She contemplated for a minute about her next move. She had to do it if his temperature was to be reduced, she concluded.

Taking a decision, she moved her hands towards his shirt and slowly unbuttoned it to expose his bare torso. She then took another cold dampened towel and placed it on his abdomen. As soon as it touched his skin, he shot open his eyes wide, staring at the ceiling in confusion, causing Khushi to startle out in shock.

It took him a whole minute before he turned his reddened eyes towards Khushi's face and continued to stare at her. "Khushi..." he finally spoke as he became aware of his surroundings. Her hand was still lying on his abdomen atop the towel. He placed his hand on hers causing her to flinch at the heat of his hand. He tried to get up and sit. But she held his chest and ushered him to lie down.

"Arnavji... you have fever. Don't get up. Lie down."

He still looked confused as to what was happening to him. His head felt heavy and the nerve at the back of his head was throbbing with enormous pain.

Khushi got up and ran to the medicine cabinet and returned back with a paracetamol tablet. She went and sat beside him, helping him to sit and offered him the tablet with a glass of water. "Here, take this. It will help you." She said.

He simply stared at her with tired eyes and took the tablet and laid down back on the bed. His eyes felt heavy and so, he closed them, as sleep tried to overtake his body.

Khushi continued to place cold towels on his forehead and abdomen.

An hour passed. Khushi was feeling tired and drowsy. By now, he seemed to drift off into deep sleep. She checked his forehead. It had cooled down a bit. She removed the wet towels from his body and took a dry one to pat his body dry. The water droplets had managed to seep into his hair, causing the front few strands of his hair to be wet and cling on his forehead.

She felt an urge to brush them away from his forehead. She slid her soft fingers across his forehead, soothing out the creases on it and involuntarily felt them glide down on his temple, to his cheek and finally rest on his jaw, caressing his face all the while. She couldn't understand why she suddenly felt all caring and concerned for him.

This was the man who had made her life miserable. And right now, she was actually taking care of that same man.

She picked up the duvet lying on the floor and covered him with it. She decided to go back to the poolside to lie down, but then a thought crossed her mind. What if he needed her? What if the fever returned back? No, she had to stay beside him, atleast for the night until the doctor arrived tomorrow morning.

Thinking about it for a minute, she then turned back and went and sat on the floor beside his bed, leaning her head on the wall behind her and dozed off. She concluded that at this much proximity, she could clearly hear him if he needed help.

The sunlight streaming inside through the windows had awakened her. She looked at the clock. It was 7:00 am. Immediately, she turned to the bed towards her left. He was still lying on it.

She hadn't slept well. She had woken up every few minutes to check if he was alright. But she had to get the Doctor.

By now, everyone would be awake. She thought to herself. She stood and decided to go downstairs to inform the others about his health.

"Chote! Wake up!" he heard his Di's voice and suddenly opened his eyes. He found everyone in the house had assembled in his room and were staring at him. He saw the Doctor sitting beside him.

"What happened Di? Why is everyone and the Doctor here?" he asked confusedly looking around the room. The first thing he noticed was Khushi wasn't there. He panicked remembering her sleeping arrangements wondering if anyone had discovered their secret.

"Chote, you had high fever yesterday night. So we called the doctor." She replied to him.

"Mr. Raizada, nothing to worry. It looks like you had high fever due to stress and tension. I have prescribed some medicines for you. But I must appreciate your wife. She did the right thing, by trying to bring down your temperature in the night. Otherwise, you would have been worse by now." Said the doctor.

"Yes Chote, Khushi actually took care of you last night. She said she didn't want to worry anyone of us by alarming us in the night. So she decided to take the matter in her own hands and take care of you. She looked like she was awake beside you the whole night." She said smiling at her brother.

Arnav couldn't believe his ears. He tried to recollect what happened the last night. But he couldn't remember a single thing. His eyes wandered to every corner of his room. But she wasn't present anywhere.

"Lie down Chote. Doctor says you need to rest. I'll send breakfast for you." She said and everyone else left the room. He lay back on the bed still trying to recollect what had happened last night.

A few minutes later, he heard someone enter the room. Just by the sound of the anklets, he knew their owner. He turned his head towards the door and saw Khushi enter the room with a tray in her hand. She looked tired as if she hadn't slept the entire night. She placed the tray on the table beside his bed and looked at him.

"How are you feeling Arnavji?" she asked in a low voice, filled with concern and worry for him. He felt guilt stab him hard in his heart. How could she care for him even after all the things he had done to her. He turned away his eyes from her face with shame and tried to sit up.

He immediately felt her hands on his shoulders trying to help him sit straight. She placed a pillow behind his back to support him.

She decided to give him his breakfast when she realized there would be no answer to her question, like always. She placed the tray on his lap and turned around to leave the room. But suddenly, she found his hand on hers.

"Khushi! Wait!" he whispered in a low voice. He saw her turn around. He gently pulled her towards him and ushered her to sit beside him. He didn't let go of her hand. Instead, he firmly entwined his fingers with hers, causing Khushi to surprisingly stare at him.

The hands weren't hot anymore. His temperature had subsided by now.

"Won't you have breakfast with me?" he asked in a soft voice.

"But there are only two sandwiches Arnavji. I will go and have my breakfast downstairs. You aren't feeling well, so you need this." She replied to him.

"No. I want you to have breakfast with me." He ordered her and placed his arm on her shoulder. She could only stare at his face dumbfounded.

She took one sandwich while he took the other one. Both started eating it lost in their own thoughts.

"I'm feeling better." He said suddenly, startling her from her thoughts.

"What?" she asked confusedly at his statement.

"You asked me right, how I was feeling? I am feeling better." He said reassuringly and smiled at her. She smiled back at him warmly.

"Here, drink your Orange juice." She said offering him the glass. He took the glass in his hand. But instead of drinking it, he placed the glass near her lips, and asked her to drink it. "You drink first. And this time don't refuse. I'm adamant and you know it very well." He said with a smirk.

"Arnavji, you know I don't like Orange juice." She said with a frown. He puckered his eyebrows with disappointment.

"But I can try it." She said and drank half of it. His disappointment was soon replaced with a huge smile. He drank the remaining juice and took his medicine and decided to lie down and rest. Khushi took the tray and stood up to leave the room.

"Khushi! Leave the tray on the table. I want you to stay with me."

She obliged and came and sat beside him. "Did you want anything else?"

He paused for a while contemplating on what he was about to say and continued, "I want to you sleep." He sighed. "I know you were awake the whole night because of me and you look so tired. So take some rest."

She got up from the bed and went towards the cupboard to pick her duvet and pillow, which she had placed inside earlier in the morning.

"Where do you think you are going?" he asked her, making her to stop in her tracks.

"I'm going to the poolside." She replied timidly.

"Are you crazy? Do you want everyone to discover that you are sleeping outside? It's broad daylight outside and anyone could notice you."

She thought about his words ."You are right, Arnavji. I'll sleep on the floor here." She said starting to spread out the duvet.

"Since I'm not well, Di could enter the room at any moment. You remember that right?" he questioned her.

"What is this, Arnavji? First you tell me to sleep. And now, you don't allow me to sleep anywhere. What's your problem?" she asked annoyingly.

"I think you should sleep on my bed here." He said casually pointing to the space beside him.

"What the?" she exclaimed out loudly.

"Stop saying my dialogues Khushi. And come here at once." He ordered her.

The truth was that he was feeling guilty for wronging her. He knew she was innocent. His Khushi who could take care of the beast like him, couldn't destroy the life of his loving sister. He had wronged her and now he was going to do it right. He wanted to start by giving her the rightful place on his bed, beside him.

She unwillingly moved towards the other side of the bed and slept at the edge causing him to burst out laughing.

"You know Khushi, I won't eat you. You can sleep properly."

She didn't know what to reply. She was thoroughly confused with his behaviour. She slowly moved closer to his side and relaxed herself. Turning towards his side, she saw him smiling at her. He slowly placed his hand on her head, caressing her soft hair.

"Thanks! For taking care of me. Doctor said I'm better now only because of you."

She enjoyed the touch of his fingers on her hair. It was soothing and relaxing.

"Can I ask you something Arnavji? Is something worrying you? You know you can tell me. I may be able to help you out."

He remembered the whole Shyam fiasco. He needed to tell her. He needed to find out the whole truth. But not now. They could wait.

"Let's sleep for now." He said closing his eyes holding her hand tightly. She reciprocated it back, stroking his firm hand with her soft thumb and closed her eyes to slumber. She would wait for him to open up to her, even if it meant the six months of their so called contract marriage.

I know. I know that it was lame. So leave your comments complaining about this lameness.😆

And yes, do check out my second VM. It definitely isn't lame like this story.😆 If you don't I swear I will post an OS where Khushi and Arnav both die because of Shyam. And it is already written in my laptop.

Those ppl who requested OS's from me. Don't worry. I haven't forgotten about them. It's just that I need some time to think about the plot. I cannot have Arhi doing 'the deed' randomly at random places right?😉

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